Device for utilizing tide-water as motive power.



s. M. SMITH. DEVICE PDB UTILIZING TIDE WATER AS MOTIVE POWER. ?PLIOATION FILED MAR.13,1909.

e 77. im# f' Patented Jan. 18,1910.

eier/ion.

UNITED s'iarns PATE r f STEPHEN in. snnrn, or Boren, mano.'

DEVICE FoaUTILIzING 'rma-WATER as moriva POWER..

speinction of Letten Patent. I Application filed March `18, 1909.' Serial No. 483,289.

Patented aan. is, i910.

' To all whom 'it may concern:

Tide-Water as a Motive Power, of whichv and low tideis sometimes many Be it known that I, STEPHEN M.ASMrrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Devices for Utilizing the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for utilizing tide water as a motive power.

It is well known that an enormous power is daily wasted by not harnessing the currents produced by the ebb and flow of the tide, and particularly at those laces where the sea flows into bays througi narrow inlets and where the difference between high feet. By my invention this energy which is now wasted can be utilized and thev power devel! oped-both by` the ebb and flow of the tide 'may be used for the-operation of machinery.

With this and other objects inview my invention consists in placing across an inlet to a bay a dam provided with one or more openings extendingto the level of the water at low tide, and in these'openings are placed one or more water-wheels. The dam is also provided with one or more openins which extend below the normal high ti e level,

.' these openings being provided with gates operating to permit the water when it has 4risenl above the sill of these depressions to force back the gates and flow 1n freely to ll the bay. When .the tide has reached flood and. begun to ebb these gates close,

holding the water back in the bay vand forc- 40 ments of parts, the preferred form of which in all the water to pass under the wheels.

y invention further consists incertain constructions, combinations and arra-nofewill be first described in connection with the accompanying drawing and then the invention articularly pointed out in the append-A tween the piers 4 and 5.

These waterwheels may be of any ordinary or desired construction and, for the purpose 'of illus-- tration, are shown as journaled at 8 on the topjgf the piers, each being provided with a pu y 9 from which extends rope belts l0, said belts extending over guide-,pulleys 11 into a mill or power house of any desired character, as indicated at 1'2.

' It is to -befunderstood that the number of.

the piers crossing the inlet may be increased or diminished as desired or required by the i width of the inlet, and theinumberof the wheels may also beA varied, the particular construction illustrated being merely for the purpose of showing one form of lniyinvention.

The upper portions of the piers 2 and 5 are'cut away, as shown at 13, to vform what I term spill-ways, the-Hoor of these s illways being located below the normal ine of high tide, so that before high tide is reached the water will flow through the' spill-ways. At the back end of each spillway I hinge a gate 14, said gate being shown Aas Supported on a shaft 15, said gate being -so mounted that it can be freely swung inI on the bay side of the dam, but will be'prevented from swinging toward the other side of the dam by'its edges striking against the edges of the spill-way.

In describing the operation of my invention I will suppose that the tide has passed. i

iood and has begun/to e'bb. The gates 14' will consequently vbe closed by the pressure of the water, and as the tide ebbs the water of the sea will be lower than the water in the bay, and as the only outlet for the water in the bay will be between the piers it will consequently operate -to rotate the wheels 6v and 7, As the water cannotiiow freely between the piers because of the wheels there will be a fall between the water on the two sides of the dam. Furthermore because of the fact that the flow of the waterv ast the wheels is impeded the water in the bay will not reach'low tide mark until after low tide has been reached outside of the dam, and consequently the'wheels will continue to operate even after slack water has been reached outside of the dam. When the tide turns and begins to flow back into the bay it will at first have to pass entirel through the openings between the piers an consequently all the water passing into the bay will operate to turn the wheels. The

spill-ways, due to the fact that the pressure ot the water will at once force open the gates lei, consequently at the last portion of the flow of the tide, before high tide is reached, the water is permitted to flow freely into the bay, and when Hood tide is reached and the direction of the tide turns the gates will automatically close and all water will again have to pass from the bay through the wheels as previously described.

I realize that considerable variation is possible 'in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without, departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore doV not intend to limit myself to the specific form shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. in a means for utilizing tide water as a motive power at points where the sea connects with baysI through inlets, the combination of a dani connjiosed ot a plurality ot piers across such inlet, a waterswheel mounted betweenr the piers, means for conveying the power generated by the water-wheel to any desired point, and means for permitting the Water from the sea to flow into the bay without passing under the wheel when the tide has reached a certain height, said means preventing water from passing from the bay to the sea except past the Wheel.

In a means tor utilizing tide water as a motive power at points where the sea connects with bays through inlets, the combination of a darn composed ot a plurality ot piers, a spill-way formed on top of one of said piers, a gate mounted on said last mentioned pier and adapted to prevent the tlow of water from the hay while permitting the tlow ot water from the .sea when the tide has reached the level of the bottom ot' the spill-way, and a unter-theel located between the. piers and adapted to be operated by the ebb and flow ot' the tide.

3. .ln a means tor utilizing tide water as a motive power at points where the sea connects with bays through inlets, the combination of a dam composed ot a plurality of piers and extending across the inlet, said piers being provided with .spill-ways in their top, gates mounted in said spill-ways and adapted to operate to permit nf'ater to flow .troni the sea to the bay and to close to prevent water [lowing from the bay and the sea, water-Wheels mounted between the piers, and means vt'or conveying power .troni the water wheel to any desired point, said water-wheels being adapted to be operated by the ebb and liow of the tide.

In testimony whereof l aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

y `'lEPllE M. SMl'lll.

lVitnesses K. E. Krimis, l. L. Non'roN. 

